What was it about Binghamton? From Harpur through the years, always great shows. Best half-step ever.

Boy o boy I love the drumming in this; without that this show might not have worked for me, the sound quality of this show is tinny; you hear hi hats and high tone over low, but this is a showcaser for '77's eclectic and smooth, vibrant and colorful-as ever Jerry. A show you actually could trip out to alone in front of your home pc :) try Passenger when your peaking, i know i will when i get a chance. The turnaround on the guitar and boy o boyo those fucking drum fills.

All you 1/2 Step fans have to check out 5/25/77...incredible version. Never heard a Truckin' end like this. Rock n Roll monster chord Jerry at the end is absolutely fantastic and unique.

Switched over to this version of the Soundboard.
Both very good sound. perhaps this is a tad sharper.
Mexicali>Me & My Uncle-these double shots of Cowboy tunes were great. Sure they got played out and eventually the Dead supplemented in more Dylan tunes and 60's covers during the 1st set.
F.O.T.D- These laid back versions go so well with the entire feel of 1977. When i look at photo's of this era I don't see the same frantic pace dancing of the 1960's or 80/90's.
Weir has been playing this as an encore for his Blue Mountain tour.
I always wondered if FOTD could have worked in the last ballad of the night slot. To my knowledge it never got that opportunity.
Even first ballad of the Second Set would be cool like the Ship of Fools slot. (see 5/17/78)
Minglewood-Short but tight (under 6 minutes)
Dupree's-Check out Donna singing the barbershop quartet parts with Weir. (Garcia's guitar at end)
No Alligator but..
PASSENGER. For me a very underrated tune.
Had a lot of kick to it. (Good that Furthur brought it back.)
A distinct tune.

Back here for the Scarlet>Fire which already has a lot of press on this page. I always took the flubs and lyric miscues as making a certain version distinct.
It didn't necessarily ruin the entire song.
Sometimes they seemed to multiple in the later years and that could become a distraction but I never went to any Dead show as perfect and never left as God either.
I like Phil's bass line in Scarlet. and Donna Jean moaning is better than any dude in the band moaning low no matter what the era.
Good to get Scarlet here 3rd tune in of 2nd set it seemed like they pretty much used it to open 2nd set whenever they played it live in the 80's & 90's.
On 7/29/11 I got Scarlet>Fire as a 2nd set closer from Furthur-- man that was hot!
Back to the matter at hand a Fire on the Mountain that was stronger instrumentally than lyrically into Good Lovin'. Now if we want to talk placement this is great placement of this tune. There were moments in 1977 when they just went out of the normal set list and would pound out three or four tunes that were completely unexpected and I think that is one reason why 77 has a large following among Heads.
St. Stephen -Every time I hear it played in 77 it seems just perfectly located and played with gusto. (Again, i want to put in a plug for Donna. Although I will give you that Pig rocked this tune mighty fierce)
Nice jam out of Stephen.

you & I are on the same page regarding Ms zippi and Jack straw. Numerous GREAT 77 misszips but Boston/Englishtown are up there. Jacl staraw 79. aA great one is Syracuse,carrier dome 84 to end the 1st set. Not all around great as numerous 79 versins but the guitar break before the final verse is enormous, on & on. Thats the basic delineator in Jack straw from 71 thru 74 with a few exceptions the break before the final verse is short. the few exceptions being in 74 when they opened up that break a little at Roosevelt stadium or a few days later at Philly. In 77 when they brought it back in the spring it still didnt have the punch from Phil as the 78/79 versions and the guitar break was bigger but still not like late 78/79 and the 80's versions. That being said as you remarked the final 3 minutes of TRUCKIN Jerry just rips it similar to a few nights earlier but this version is longer and Better. Jaw dropping

Dire Wolf at 3 and a half minutes seems like the shortest song ever played. Where's the second guitar solo?

And for the record, Garcia had guitar issues in Scarlet and was tuning during he 2nd verse, but why he went straight to the solo from the bridge and left out the Ain't nothin wrong with the way she moves verse is beyond me, there were a couple of these in 77. He lays back in the jam due to guitar problems as well.

My mom was here! Great stuff.

I've always loved this Tennessee Jed. While I can see where some people might see it as a bit of a come-down after Half-Step and Jack Straw, I love the build to the end of the solo. It's as if Jerry has deliberately dialed himself back, build starts at 5:55 and then crescendoing at around the 8-minute mark. And the note before the final "Tennessee, Tennessee..." sounds deliberately off, and it works BRILLIANTLY.

...can be heard on post-hiatus Truckin' well before '84, and is seen on the Duke '78 video, he simply uses Donna's mic. But after Brent's arrival, it looks like he didn't a mic handy, thus sharing Bobby's on the '83 Stephens.

Yeah, he flubs the lyrics on Fire, and misses the cue for the first solo in Scarlet, but this show comprises some of Garcia's hottest, most consistent, soloing you'll hear from '77, the band's most consistent tour year. Period. Other shows have more cache, to be sure, but Garcia's playing will blow you away from beginning to end. You must own this show! DL immediately, if not sooner. [NB: Even with the flubs, the Scar-Fire is better, hotter, and MUCH more dynamic than Bartlett Hall; there's really no comparison].

Phil is singing on Truckin'. "Busted down on Houston St."... who is singing this? It's Phil Lesh singing. I thought he didn't from '74 until early '84... but, yep, just heard it again and there he is!

This is most definitely NOT an overrated show. Just listen to the very unique Scarlet>Fire. Jerry does some cool shit with the Mutron pedal. Keith is in fine form this evening, and Bobby is full of energy. A classic '77 set list with amazing versions of each song.

The Music Never Stopped is good, but doesn't come close to 1977-05-09.

this has got to be easily the most overrated show from 1977.

however, it contains an absolutely funk-filled, outrageous version of TMNS - i'm surprised, in fact, of how few have mentioned it. this is seriously one of the best-ever versions of the song - words fail for how incredibly inspired Jerry is during the jam!

so my five stars is for this song only, the show as a whole is more like a 3 & 1/2.

Reviewer: Eric "Jerry's Kid" Andreasen - 4.00 out of 5 stars4.00 out of 5 stars4.00 out of 5 stars4.00 out of 5 stars - December 26, 2010
Subject: ESSENTIAL! GREAT FOUR-STAR SHOW!
Transition between the cowboy tunes is EXCELLENT (never heard one like it before) and "New Minglewood Blues" (Bob's next song vocal) SMOKES! Listen to that funky riff Jerry is playing behind Bob's vocals on the last set of verses, very cool and hot!
To my ears, the band started sounding a little "thicker" and "chunkier" after Spring '77. Many of the peak moments this fall are kind of tucked away (Phil is all over the place!) and occur during a lot of the ensemble playing. "Tennessee Jed" has a NICE build-up by Garcia and Company (and listen to Bob gently goading it on as Garcia plays the lead, that Bob, he's a crafty devil! ...on his good nights!)

Over all a great, consistent, solid show with a LOT of little highlights here and there, and some BIG JAMS!!!

One of the gems of Fall '77 for sure!

CAVEAT: I'm listening to Hunter Seamons' matrix of this SBD and two AUDS (one by Moore & Minches). I'm rating this source 5 to balance out the 4 I gave to the Jerry Moore AUD.

In general, I'd say that this show is one of those where the first set is OK and the second is pretty great. While the Half-Step is "muscular", as one reviewer noted, it is a little awkward in the beginning, as if Jer had on his winter gloves or something. If muscular means loud and assertively played, that description fits, at least the latter part of the song. The show is kinda hit and miss, until a surprise Dupree's shows up, to everyone's delight. IMHO, that's when the show kicks into gear after wandering aimlessly to that point. Passenger is good, as is the electric Dire Wolf and MNS.
The Samson (almost always well-played in '77) is hot to open the second set. Sunrise is bearable, but then the Scarlet melts one's face a bit. After that, it gets trippy and fun until the end. Good stuff to conclude the show.
I think four stars is a fair rating for this show due to the abundance of very average playing early on. Can't fault the recording, as it's quite tasty.

Very good show and a wonderful soundboard.

Thank you Joe shoe for saying what I've always known: This opening half step and jackstraw is the absolute fucking shit! Never heard such a smokin two songs. If you cant hear it from the opener, you cant hear the dead.

Also agree that the second set falls off big time with the exception of the truckin. Totally lame scarlet fire.

LOVE the half step riding the waves and the jack straw peaks too hot really for words

Hey belmon36, isn't comparing and contrasting what this review section is for? I'm not really sure what you're getting at bro.

Easily my favorite Half Step, bar none. Yeah I've heard the Englishtown and Buffalo 77 and IMO they dont hold a candle. The only one that comes close is 11-5-77, the day before this one. I guess they were on a roll with Half Step in early November. This one is so well jammed and nuanced, it almost sounds like Jerry Band. Jerry is so stoked he just keeps it going and going. Off the charts, GD with both guns blazing. The Jack Straw that follows makes this one of my top one/two openers of all time, along with 7-15-84 Dancin'>Bird Song and 6-11-93 Jack Straw>Foolish Heart. The rest of the first set is very well played with the rare-at-the-time Duprees, which keeps the Binghampton Aoxomoxoa streak going.
Second set falls off in quality IMO. With one of the worst Scarlet>Fire's I've had the misfortune of hearing. I remember right when I got this tape the Scarlet>Fire is what I wanted to hear first, I figured you couldnt miss with a 77 Scarlet>Fire...I was wrong. I think Jerry is on the nod or something cuz the Scarlet is sloppy, the transition is underdeveloped(almost nonexistent), and the Fire is a complete mess! Jerry is so spaced he only sings two of the four verses! The Truckin that closes the show more than makes up for it though, this has to be one of the very best versions of Truckin. It's absolutely sizzling, smokin' hot, blistering...
4 stars for 77.

All around great show. There are a few flubs here and there but its the Dead not a cover band so the flubs belong. Half Step is a good..maybe second best for the year second behind Englishtown (09/03/77)- You have to hear this Truckin.. possibly the best of 77'

Peace

Like many, had this last show of tour tape soon after and to this day still listen to some of the finer moments of this show.

The Half-Step is truly a great one IMHO with Boston and Englishtown in the same league (w/ the later two topping this one). 1977 was a kind year for Half-Step and I find that certain vintage years of each song have higher merits than others. I like the early '79 NYC/Philly Jack Straw's, and think '79 was the peak Jack year more than any '77, but this is surely a super strong effort for the year.

The Music Never Stopped had a bunch of can't-miss rockin' renditions from the '77-'78 era and this one certainly doesn't disappoint. What made this song special was that it was such an easy, free-wheelin', upbeat jam for anyone to follow and The Dead delivered these a dime a dozen. Jerry pops this one at the 5:15 mark, lays out a great solo, switches to rhythm, scrambles it and the band rejoins. Actually, hearing this on headphones, and better quality here, Keith is clearly out of sync near the end (sadly, the same much more obvious in the final bars of Truckin' but he does make it into the fold).

I have to agree w/ others that this Scarlett/Fire has never been at the top of my list either. Maybe it's the slow opening pace or the fact that Jerry barely plays the first section. His first solo and lilting notes around the 4:15 mark are nice but much of the work through Donna's thing he's awol. This Scarlett transition is an acquired taste for those that like a less-is more-approach. The band lets this version breathe and subtle would be an apt description. Hard to say much about Fire except there are a lot of verse flubs in both main Jerry sections. Jerry wah-wahs his way through the first solo nicely, and makes up for the flubs in the second, peaking around the 8:30 mark before they bail back to Scarlett.

Besides the Half-Step, "side 2" of the second set tape was what this show was always all about, especially when I was a budding 'Head. Sure, Jerry noodles and drifts for ideas a bit during St Stephen but the NFA gets the syncopation goin' and Jerry plays hard strings low on the fret board for quite a bit. They decide against Truckin' next and climb into a Wharf Rat that yields a jam not to be missed post 7:00 mark. Certainly one of my personal fave versions.

If you haven't heard the last 5 minutes of this version of Truckin'...you probably need to. Jerry fires off riffs against the bands rhythm all the way to the end until they all come together. If you were in attendence (not I)I think it would be so obvious you were witnessing jaw-dropping greatness.

I love this site and love the Grateful Dead, But I get so sick of people comparing songs and shows. You should just tell the intended group If the show is good or not and not tangent away to some other date. It does no due justice. I love the Dead, Hippies AH!!!!.

This has gotta be the most rockin' Mexicali I've ever heard

1977-05-08, Englishtown version is bomb, this one has more energy.

folks, lets not go crazy. Some other reviewers have commented that every show has someone saying its the "best ever".

The Dead played a bunch of average shows to go with the good and the bad. This show is above average, for sure, but lets not lose our heads. Anyone who believes this is the best Half-Step has not listened carefully to the Englishtown version. Its really not even close, and there are versions from the 80's that a probably better as well.

n average show from 77 not too bad but better ones out there, worth a listen. but if your on the search for a GREAT Half step, def check it out

it has.. moments.. of blinding brilliance, yeah that sums it up, just get it, ya know ya need it.

I had the pleasure of being at this show and the night before in Rochester. This Broome County Arena show was one of the best I'd ever seen. I was right up front getting squished.

I saw about 11 GD shows in 77 and this one was my fave closely followed by 12/29, 4/29, 5/4.....

Great 1/2 Step, Stephen, Wharf rat and the ripping Trucking.

Bob

I was there and its something i will never forget. The arena was filled beyond and every living soul was dancing. I remember someone handing wier a street sighn that they took from stevens square and i think it was stephens st. and he turned and put it on the stage and then turned around and you got it they broke into st.stephen, wow what a show. It was my first at the fun age of 15 and the rest is history. I attended every show after that when they played there and i would love to have this show. David Gans played some of it on the dead hour but my reception wasnt to good that night but i still listen to it because i am a deadhead.

This is still a stellar show! The 1/2 Step is really good and Jerry's solos are amazing.

I love this Dire Wolf. It's really hard to find a good one.

The highlight is the Stephen sandwich at the end.

5 for quality and playing.

the Mississippi Half-Step from ENGLISHTOWN BEATS UP this one every day, AND takes its LUNCH MONEY!As for 1/8/79 and 5/9/79, Englishtown SEZ BRING IT ON!!! Seriously, though, one of the things you spot pretty quickly on this site is that every single show is someone's favorite for some emotional and/or aesthetic reason. "This was my first show/tape," "best tape I had, I listened to it hundreds of times," "particular song really smokes." There is no absolute "best" version of any song (although certainly every song hit its peak at some point along the way), and you especially can't compare 77 to 79 because it is two completely different bands. One of the other things you notice pretty quickly on this site (at least I didn't completely get it until I'd spent some time here) is just how hard the boys worked to change it up every single time out. If you listen to just one or two shows from each year, starting at the beginning, you really hear that it's a different band every year. Kinda what they were all about-- chasing that spontaneous creative moment. That rant out of the way, this is a great show from a great year, and one of my favorite MSN's & Truckin's too.

If you want to DL, go to the above site - the SBD is still there.

I have been listening to alot of '77 shows lately and was really looking forward to listening to this one, what with all the reviews and stuff. While it does rock, I just really didn't feel too great about the second set. The Scarlet>Fire seemed kind of tame. The same with the jam after St. Stephen. I do admit that the jam out of Wharf Rat was really nice though. But the greatest disappointment to me was Truckin'. All these reviews were talking about best ever but I thought it was good but not great. All in all, not a bad show but there are other '77 shows that have better versions of these songs, of course, in my opinion. I just feel that I was let down a bit after all these glowing reviews. I have to admit, '77 was a rocking year. Going into the '78 shows now, we'll see how that goes. Keep on Truckin'!!

One of the appealing aspects of 1977 (and '74 and '76) is consistent tightness with very little sloppiness. Here it is starting to creep in. But though this is not a great Scarlet>Fire, it doesn't reach the unlistenable levels of some of the stuff from the late '80s or '94-'95. This is still a good show.

The low point for me is Mexicali Blues->Me & My Uncle, which are ruined by the "disco" drumming of Bill and Micky. This drumming style works in Dancing in the Streets, but fails miserably on the Dead's old cowboy songs.

Overall, though, the vocals are good, and, as other reviewers have said, there is plenty of good material here, including some great Jerry jamming in Mississippi, a powerful Friend of the Devil and much of the second set. Enjoy.

This show possesses the atmospheric highs and the abyssmal lows that often accompnay the Grateful Dead listening experience. The lows are moments of real sloppy playing and probably the absolute worst Scarlet>Fire of the period...However, the Dead more than make-up for the dogs with a positively huge Truckin'...Samson and Delilah. Jack Straw, NFA and Half Step are all given the full treatment ala '77. Nice overall quality, the sloppiness and some of the real throwaways keep this one from being mentioned as one of the best '77 shows and thus not a 5 star rating. That being said, check it out for sho'

This is in the top 5 best Jack Straw's I've ever heard! I've always wished they would have played it a little later in the night, after they were more warmed up, but this night they already sound warmed up...especially Jerry. Damn his second solo is just brilliant!!!

The rest of the show is full of energy and just a fantastic show! All these people on here trying to claim the "BEST SHOW" is ridiculous....ALL shows had their own brilliance. It's all opinion anyway. The only thing I wish would have stayed - Jerry's tone from Mar - June 1977. Damn I love that tone!

Wow, what a show

Best 1/2 step, mingle wood, and Friend of the Devil I've ever heard, there was just an awesome energy about this show, I can tell they had fun playing it and the return of one of my favorite songs the take a step back song lol

There are some staple shows from 1977 one must possess. This would be one of them. The Dupree's in the first set and the Truckin in the second set are second to at best very few. The boys were on their game that particular evening. There were plenty of shows in this era where they were a bit off, this show, was not one of them. A must have.

Nothing special. The whole November run is overrated. None of it holds a candle to May, or even April for that matter. Jerry changed his tone from a thick gleaming sound to a more tart, distorted one.

I don't know about best ever stuff but from listening to just the first 2 songs, if my tabs were not lighting up by the end of Jack Straw I would be hunting for more because it showed all the signs of being a good one right from the start.

BEST MISSISSIPPI HALF STEP EVER ? COME ON PEOPLE !!!! BEST SHOW EVER??? COME ON PEOPLE , ARE WE LISTING TO THE SAME SHOW HERE? TRY 1/8/79 FOR ONE OF THE BEST MISSISSIPPI'S AND TRY 5/9/79 FOR ONE OF THE BEST TRUCKIN'S YOU'LL EVER HEAR, THIS IS A GREAT SHOW BUT BY NO MEANS ONE OF THE GREATEST SHOWS YOU'LL EVER HEAR NOT EVEN CLOSE, WORTH THE DOWNLOAD THOUGH ! PRETTY STANDARD SHOW WITH GREAT SOUND QUAITY !

You will never hear a finer version of HALF STEP than right here, right now, this show.

The rest is standard 1977 fare--meaning beyond excellent. Enjoy!

not as hot as i was lead to believe by the tapers compendium...but overall a nice paced show, with the brightest moments happening for me on the not fade, wharf rat and truckin jams, where they get into a real stripped down blues feel....right at about 6 minutes in on not fade: very tasty jam that just about falls off the table, but the drummers keep pushing ol' jer and he sounds up to the task, it almost settles in to trucki' right then but jerry wanted to tell us a little story first, "old man down...".....worth the effort to check out

Yeah, yeah, the Cornell and War Memorial shows are tight, but this one is often overlooked, awesome sound. One regret, Sunrise...Donna's deal. The sound is great, burn it and spread the joy. You'll be pleasantly suprised.

Broome County Arena will always be one of the greatest shows of any decade. Listening to this (over and over at this point) is bringing back a flood of amazing memories from what I believe is the best year/tours that I followed.

This show is seriously TIGHT! Drumming is locked in and Keith is perfect on the piano. This is the definitive version of wharf rat imo. Only flaw in the show is Donna on vocals. Oh well. St stephen>NFA>drums>Wharf Rat>St Stephen is phenomenal. One of my two essential shows, the other being 2-22-69 dreambowl. Thanks much to etree and archive.

My First Show!!!
Just An Amazing Day And Night!!!
All Of Binghamton Was A Party
The Reviews Here Hit It Right On The Nose.
"Dick's Picks 34" Is the Night Before In Rochester. I Think This Show Was Hotter.

This has to be one of the tightest shows ever. The second set is simply mind blowing. It has to rank amongst the best ever and sounds just as fresh today.....I could not believe my good fortune when my ace girl put me on to this website. I finally had this show back in my hands again. This was the soundtrack of many crazy nights. Thanks to all those at the archive.......download this and play it loud!

This was by far one of my all time favorite shows. I showed up late afternoon. the sky was cloudy. We all had to enter on the second floor mezzanine, and there was a large concrete ramp lending up to the enterence doors. By the late afternoon, the whole place was packed already and it was a lovefest. Everyone was totally pysched, the air was super charged. Folks were pasing all sorts of drugs around, I remember someone packing my nose full of blow. Anyway, sometime around 6 pm, the crowd blew the all the doors open and everyone just ran in. I saw cops in the crowd being spun around and having no clue what to do except save themselves. no tickets were ever collected. Ahhhh... general admission concerts of the 70's. Needless to say, everyone running inside just increased the charged atmosphere. The music was beyond the beyond. You have to listen to this betty board. I also remember two other things. First, it was loud, specially the truckin jam. Second, just before the St. Stephan, someone handed the band a street sign (Stephan st) and switched the st. and stephan. Billy grabbed the sign and mounted it on top of one of his cymbal stands. enjoy..

of all the shows i've seen and heard, the st. stephen thru truckin segment belongs on any best of compilation..don't miss it..dload it now,and enjoy it over and over again..

This show is not psychadelic dead, so 20 minute dark star deadheads need not apply!

This show is Keith jamming out on the grand paino so hard you're afraid he's going to break the keys. It's Jerry deciding to channel the greatest eletric heroes of the age in Truckin'... Hell even Donna beats out a beautiful Sunrise in the middle somewhere.

The downsides: Jerry has some vocal flubs in fire, and the nfa sounds and feels perfunctory. Tennessee Jed is a total letdown after the shockingly good half-step+jack straw... The best part of St. Stephen is when the guys go back to it after jammin' out Wharf Rat.

The upsides: Why are you still reading this? Download this show! Jerry gets a blood transfusion or drops some better drugs after everybody packs it in for drums, and recovers in a spactacular way. I only wish that I was actually alive at the time of this show. When was my first show, you ask? 6/18/83, *in utero* ;)

The crowd energy must've been off the wall. This is definantly one of my top 5 Dead shows.

p.s. Even in fire jerry's guitar is still good. Amazing that you can be so dosed up that you start forgetting the words to one of your most common songs, but still be able to play so well...

After reading some of the reviews for this show I had to give it a listen. After hearing the NFA> Whart Rat> St. Stephen capped off by the killer Truckin' the only thing I could do was play it again! Currently in the car player, can't wait for the drive home.

OK - maybe some of the Europe '72 shows were longer or more varied overall, and perhaps there were some individual songs that jammed harder (Hard to Handle in 1971, Dark Star in 1970, The Other One in 1971, etc), but for my money, this is the greatest, rockin' Dead show of all time. What was it about upstate NY the band seemed to like so much? All-time bests include - Half Step, Jack Straw, Music Never Stopped, Scarlet > Fire > Good Lovin', Wharf Rat, and Truckin'. I defy you to find better versions of any of these. Turn this up as loud as your speakers will allow and then send me your review. In the 3rd solo of Half Step Garcia finds a jam I never could have imagined. His solo on Fire on the Mountain starts so quietly that the dissonant, crazy blast he lets go about 2 minutes later must have blown the audience away. The march/jig thing at the end of Wharf Rat is incredible, and the heavy metal ending of Truckin' is much more Pink Floyd than anything I ever expected from the Grateful Dead. Yeah, 5/7/77 is great, and there are lots of others, but this is the #1 disc in my collection......

This is hands down my favorite show of all time.

Beginning to end just let it stream. There is just something about this show that does it for me musically, visually, spiritually. In 1982 I was almost home from being away two weeks on a business trip and had to have this show Fed Exed to me as I couldnÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂt wait to be home again.

Enjoy!

Chris

As he said above, this is the best Truckin' ever, hands down. Shakey lyrics but not matter...Guitar God stuff at the end. Play it loud, now.

had the pleasure of being at the show and was overjoyed to find site and download,....sound is great...still feel the energy of not fade away despite all the years that have passed

DL'd this one...went to play poker with the headphones on, and came out up 400 bucks...thanks to the Dead. Good energy and sound quality here.

i dig that. they kick it in when Keith lays some even chords around 4:10. then it's on!

The bookends of this show make it for me. A great 1/2 Step that leads into an 11 song 1st set. The Scarlet>Fire is typical of '77 but not monsterous, the Trucking though is monsterous. Jerry sounds like a heavy metal God during the end jam and those on whatever must have been really going nuts with all the cresendos building up to the climax.

Yes, there are vocal flubs and instrument problems. But check out the solo after the first verse in Fire. Jerry kind of hangs out a bit for a minute and then he and the band just kick it into overdrive. I love those moments when you hear the boys just palpably shift gears in unison. The second solo (no third verse/solo, of course) ain't too shabby, either.

The Truckin is the best ever.

To me this is when the sound changes from the ooze of 77 to the rock of the next gen. This copy is very tasty. Songs extremely well played and everything from MNS on is just top shelf. It seems like I give everything 5 stars but I think I am review the best shows/copies anyway. I will try to be more objective. Archive ROCKS!

Hey now!

Just a quick comment to share my enthusiasm for this version of Truckin'... best ever, IMHO. The jam at the end is raw and chunky bliss!

-Matty

For me this show has always been about the Wharf Rat. The jams at the end are so incredible - Jerry goes into a "Wharf Rat March" that will stick in your head forever. The transition back into St. Stephen sends chills up my spine and must have been incredible to see live. Finally, this Truckin' rocks so hard - I still have not heard one that tops it. After 20 years and with hundreds to bootlegs to choose from, disc 3 of this show is still in my all-time top 10.

you have to hear this mns.

you have to hear this mns.

I'm surprised folks seem to prefer this one over the nite before. Here, Garcia isn't right on top of the melody. He does make up for it in part by using some exciting rave-ups, the kind he employs in Sugaree and Truckin. This is the last nite of the tour, where they usually have a little extra energy to put into the performance. With so many great 1977 shows, it's hard to give this one even a 4.

This is one hot shit show. The half-step opener is absurdly smokin'. Jerry's solo absolutely wails - the all-time definitive version. Followed up immediately by a great '77 Jack Straw. The second set is hot too. Great sound quality - good loud Phil. Get this show, and crank your stereo to "11" for the Half-Step.

Fine jamming, very fluid, you need this one. Topnotch Scarlet.

This show sounds good, but to me what has always stuck out is the opener. This is and will always be my favorite version of Half Step. It is long and the end sends many chills down my spine. Enjoy this one!

The actual source of this show should be SBD > MR > PCM > DAT > CDR. Great sound, great show...